“Okay. I have an important meeting to attend later. That’s all for today. Bring Luca to my house for dinner when you’re available,” said Jack. He already heard Queenie mention it to him last night.It was about how Leia got on Luca’s nerves in the hospital, causing Luca to toss the medical records aside before leaving the hospital. What would Luca think about Leia’s ignorance and Queenie’s doting? “Okay.” Luke did not take his words seriously. After all, Queenie was on her guard now. If Luke brought Luca to their house, Queenie might suspect them.Luke was not afraid of Queenie suspecting him, but Luca was concerned about Queenie’s thoughts. He looked at the computer screen. The commentators he paid had been guiding public opinion. Luke closed the website and continued with his work.…In the hospital.Leia’s face turned gloomy when she watched the videos on the internet.People who had seen the videos were criticizing her. Her haters took the chance to expose the skeletons
Another nurse helped Leia to pack the things on the bedside table. These would be taken to be disinfected later.Leia noticed that the nurses did not answer her. Instead, they began to take her stuff away. She immediately said, “You have no right to touch my stuff!”“These belong to the hospital,” said the head nurse. The water bottle and some other items belonged to the hospital. They were for the patients in the VIP wards. The water bottles downstairs were not the same design.“I’m not moving.” Leia insisted. The head nurse did not know if she should be laughing or crying when she saw Leia behaving like this. She had no choice but to explain to her, “Ms. Norman, Mr. Norman is the one who’s paying for your medical expenses. Now, he’s requesting to transfer you to a normal ward. We have no choice but to follow his instructions.”"Don't touch anything. I'm calling my Dad," said Leia. She was disgusted at the thought of moving downstairs. She was a person with high social status. W
“I don’t…” Leia still wanted to resist as the thought of living downstairs made her feel ashamed.Moreover, she was the talk of the town. If she went downstairs, she would be surrounded by spectators.Leia wanted to plead with Jack.“That’s the final decision, and don’t disturb your father. He’ll get even angrier if you look for him now. Just focus on recovering in the hospital.” After Queenie finished speaking, she hung up.She did not care if Leia would go to her grandparents.Anyway, the old master was pissed after seeing the video anyway.If Leia knew better, she would not bother the two old people and bring about her own destruction.In the hospital ward.Leia lay down and tossed her phone aside.After listening to her long conversation with Queenie without interrupting, the nurse finally said, “Pack up and we’ll help you move downstairs.”“Don’t touch me.” Leia widened her eyes and glared at the nurse in front of her.The nurse was unfazed and said, “Ms. Norman, please
A mother would always worry about her child, and Queenie was no exception.It was just that Leia made her worry too much.When Leia was still in the entertainment industry, Queenie constantly used her connections in the industry to help develop her career so that she would not sell herself to get resources like most celebrities.However, Leia still went astray and did everything she could to get what did not belong to her.In the end, she even drugged Queenie to take revenge on her.At the thought of this, Queenie felt that the bitterness in her mouth could never compare to the bitterness in her heart.“Mrs. Norman, is the medicine really bitter?” The maid noticed her frown and asked worriedly.“It’s fine.” After the pills had disintegrated under her tongue, Queenie drank a big glass of water.The maid brought over candy and said, “Mrs. Norman, have some candy.”Queenie shook her head and glanced out the window to see that it had stopped snowing. Then, she asked, “How many mor
In the past, all of Percy’s clothes were custom-made.However, he did not have the time to customize his clothes as he was busy with work this year, so Nina decided to pick out some clothes for him at the mall for New Year’s.Besides, wearing new clothes in the new year was good luck for the year ahead.“Mr. Mallory is so lucky to have a girlfriend like you,” Queenie said with a smile. Nina was Bianca’s best friend. Regardless of what the news reports say, she still admired the candid person in front of her.“Aunt Queenie, it seems like you’ve bought quite some stuff. Did you get clothes for Mr. Norman and Ms. Norman?” Nina noticed that the salesperson beside her was already holding a bunch of clothes.Some even had bright colors. Although she could not see the style, she guessed that some were meant for someone younger.Queenie probably bought the clothes for Leia.Bianca had gone through so much because of Leia, and Leia had done so much to hurt Queenie and Jack, yet Queenie s
Queenie recalled that Leia did not like taking the doctor’s advice either, so she shook her head in distress.“Aunt Queenie, what’s wrong?” Nina said with concern.“Nothing, I just hope that everything will get better after the new year,” Queenie expressed her wishes.Although Nina loathed Leia to the point that she would not even pity her if she were to die, Queenie would be sad if Leia died. Bianca cared the most about her biological mother, so she still comforted her, “Don’t worry, Ms. Norman will be able to recover and be discharged soon. Plus, there’s still Luca. She’s great at treating patients, so she can help Ms. Norman anytime.”Queenie could no longer smile at the mention of this.After seeing the smile on her face disappear, Nina realized that she had said the wrong thing, so she asked with caution, “Aunt Queenie, did I say something wrong?”Queenie shook her head and frowned as she told Nina about last night’s events.Although Luca had sent her a message afterward sa
Queenie was still hesitant because after what Luca had done for their family, they should be the ones thanking her.Now, it was the other way around, which was inappropriate.After noticing Queenie’s hesitation, Luca said, “Aunt Queenie, this is just a token of appreciation. You know there’s no hidden meaning to it. Since it’s New Year’s, I wanted to gift you two some things to show my gratitude.”Nina also said, “She’s right, Aunt Queenie. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can just gift Luca an envelope with money when the new year is here.”Queenie looked at Luca with her lips slightly open as she nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Luca.”“You’re welcome, Aunt Queenie.” Luca smiled faintly after Queenie accepted the gifts.Queenie saw that Luca was not angry in the slightest bit. She even gifted her a whole bunch of things. It would be rude of her to continue dwelling on what had happened yesterday.Her heart softened after seeing Luca’s smiling face as if the bitterness in her heart
Jack put down his utensils in his hands and looked at Queenie.He was the only Norman family member who knew that Luca was Bianca. As such, Queenie would not be able to understand a lot of what he was talking about."We’ll just get Luca something for New Year’s," Jack said. After all, Luca was their daughter. It was normal to give presents to one’s kids during the new year.That was the best blessing parents could give to their children during the festivities."Would it seem too tacky?" Queenie was hesitant. Although it was common for elders to give gifts to juniors, Luca did not seem like the kind who would get them so many gifts to get something in return from them.On top of that, she heard from Luke that Luca grew up abroad with her mother.They might not practice the same traditions, she was worried that it might seem too casual if she went to get a return gift. "That's the most sincere blessing we can give to someone. How can it be tacky?" Jack picked up his fork and cont
“As long as he stays out of your sight, I won’t make a move,” said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Luke’s pals, he would have been long gone.Anyone who dared to mess with someone Ray cherished would not be let off easily. The only reason Gordan was still breathing was thanks to Luke.“Alright, Ray. Just let it go. I’ve moved on and started a new life. Plus, I’m studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, we’ll just be strangers. There’s no need to step in for me or act impulsively.” Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.“Is it the clothes delivery?” asked Ray.“No, while you were talking with Mr. Crawford, I asked someone to buy some medicinal cream. The ones here work better than the ones in Russia. A little massage with it should help you heal faster,” Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.“Miss, is the boss alright?” asked one of Ray’s subordinates.“He’s fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, “Can you walk me through your plan?”“The prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. I’ve already spoken with the prison officials, and we can use that passage to transport her out. It connects to the sewage system, which leads directly to another detention facility. "The only catch is that this facility’s underground pipes don’t connect to the outside world, so the remaining 10% risk lies in moving Kassy onto the main road and securing her at the new location.“This whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why I’m confident it’ll work.” As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. “Here’s the layout I had someone retrieve. This is the starting point, and this is the destination. If we take this route, we can move Kassy without alerting Abel’s people.”Abel’s men were keeping a constant watch outside the prison now. That was prec
Luke had no idea what kind of mindset the person who poisoned Vivian had. However, he found Gordan’s current behavior quite intriguing.“Luke, what’s with that look?” Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.“You seem pretty concerned about Vivian,” Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. “What? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, don’t say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.”Luke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. “Why are you here?”“Speaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.” Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. “Man, Ray really didn’t hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.”Luke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. “Unlock it.”“All set, boss.” Gordan unlocked the phone and went back to pressing an ice pack against his face.Luke scanned the scr
It was the sound of a body slamming onto the ground.Gordan’s furious curses rang out. “Damn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?”Another loud thud followed.Vivian frowned. What the hell were they doing? Were they really going to fight until one of them won?Both of them were skilled fighters. If they kept this up, neither would walk away unscathed.“Enough!” shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.“Vivian, stay out of this. I’m beating him to a pulp today,” growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.“Ray, I don’t want to see him,” said Vivian. She did not want Ray fighting him. It was not to protect Gordan but because she did not want Ray getting hurt.Also, she definitely did not want Gordan to see her like this. She could already picture his smug face, his sarcastic remarks and his gloating.“Fine. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll just beat
After returning to the hotel from the hospital, Vivian felt much better.To her, the fact that Ray had taken her to the hospital meant there was hope for the future, which lifted her spirits. She picked up an apple from the fruit platter the hotel had provided and took a bite.“Ray, this apple is really good. Want to try one?” asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. “You go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?”Vivian nodded. “I only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.”Ray walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.“You didn't bring any food with you?” asked Ray.“I haven’t really been in the mood, but the food here is way better than Russian food, so I didn't feel the need to bring anything.” Vivian’s tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.“That's true.” Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. “Alright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, we’ll still need your help.”“For toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Don’t worry, if I can help, I definitely will,” Luca assured him.“Alright, thank you.” Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, “If Vivian was really poisoned, don’t worry. Previously, Luca discovered that her biological mother had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. She prescribed herbal medicine and used purely traditional herbal medicine to detoxify her. It didn’t take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If it’s something she can fix, she’ll do everything she can.“Besides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?”“Yes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. “Ms. Sanchez, what's wrong?”He was eager to get back upstairs and stash his cigarettes before someone noticed and took them.Hera yanked open his bag, glanced at the cigarette brand, and scoffed. “I thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And you’re acting all deferential to her over this?”Gerald was rendered speechless. “I knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand I’m used to. Maybe it’s not expensive to you, but for me, it’s what I can afford.”Realizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. “Still, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?”“It’s not about the money,” replied Gerald. “It's just a nice surprise. I never expected to get anything out of helping Ms. Craw, and this kind of unexpected gift has nothing to do with the price. Besides, I'm not being overly grateful. I'm just happy.”He was ba
Luca’s lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Luke’s eyes, was utterly captivating. It tugged at his nerves, stirring an uncontrollable desire within him.At that moment, he had only one thought, and it was to completely lose himself in her.…The two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, “Hello, Mr. Crawford.”“Vivian, don’t worry. Everything will get better,” replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Luca’s hand and led her away.It was only after hearing the door close that Vivian finally turned back around.Ray glanced at her and said, “Vivian, they’re your friends. You don’t have to act this way around them. They won’t judge you.”“I know they won’t…” Vivian let out a soft sigh. “I just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didn’t want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But it’
“I once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivian’s. Given that your family has good genetics, yet Vivian is different from the rest of you, and her skin improved after leaving her original environment, all of this confirms my suspicion.“Could it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.”“If she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?” asked Ray.Luca shook her head.“The poison I’ve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victim’s skin dark. I don’t know exactly what it was, but long-term exposure to any poison has an effect on the body. It's just a suspicion now. I need to consult someone I know. And honestly, I can’t be sure what’s really causing Vivian’s condition.“Is her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a